{"id":9188,"date":"2019-09-30T10:07:04","date_gmt":"2019-09-30T10:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/?p=9188"},"modified":"2019-09-30T10:11:48","modified_gmt":"2019-09-30T10:11:48","slug":"a-new-australian-style-immigration-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/2019\/09\/a-new-australian-style-immigration-system\/","title":{"rendered":"A new Australian-style immigration system?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>In June 2019, in his first speech to the House of Commons as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"httpss:\/\/hansard.parliament.uk\/commons\/2019-07-25\/debates\/D0290128-96D8-4AF9-ACFD-21D5D9CF328E\/PrioritiesForGovernment\"><strong>declared his intention<\/strong><\/a><strong>&nbsp;to introduce an Australia-style points-based system in the UK.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> His&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/inews.co.uk\/news\/politics\/boris-johnson-first-commons-speech-immigration-points-based-system-497808\">plan was to \u201censure that we continue to attract the brightest and best talent from around the world\u201d through a \u201cradical rewriting of our immigration system<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The PM said he would invite the&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/organisations\/migration-advisory-committee\">Migration Advisory Committee (MAC)<\/a>&nbsp;to review Australia\u2019s immigration programmes and on 3 September 2019, Home Secretary Priti Patel&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/government\/uploads\/system\/uploads\/attachment_data\/file\/829234\/Home_Secretary_Professor_Manning_-_Points-based_system.pdf\">instructed the MAC<\/a>&nbsp;to examine \u201cAustralian immigration system and similar systems to advise on what best practice can be used to strengthen the UK labour market.\u201d She asked the MAC to report by January 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although UK Government officials have (to date) not made any public statements about when and how a new immigration system for the UK will be introduced, a&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/no-deal-immigration-arrangements-for-eu-citizens-moving-to-the-uk-after-brexit\/no-deal-immigration-arrangements-for-eu-citizens-arriving-after-brexit\">Policy Paper<\/a>&nbsp;on No-Deal immigration on the UK Government website (updated on 5 September) says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe government will introduce a new, Australian-style points-based immigration system from January 2021.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a relatively short timescale to develop, consult on, and create a new immigration system. Furthermore, the new UK Government\u2019s plans appear to depart from former Prime Minister Theresa May\u2019s proposals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Theresa May\u2019s post-Brexit immigration policy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In December 2018, the UK Government published a&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/government\/uploads\/system\/uploads\/attachment_data\/file\/766465\/The-UKs-future-skills-based-immigration-system-print-ready.pdf\">White Paper on Immigration<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/services.parliament.uk\/bills\/2017-19\/immigrationandsocialsecuritycoordinationeuwithdrawal.html\">introduced legislation to end free movement in the UK<\/a>. The Immigration Bill, introduced by the former Home Secretary (and now Chancellor) Sajid Javid, stalled after its second reading in the House of Commons earlier this year, and was due to fall away with the attempted prorogation of Parliament. However, given that the Supreme Court has recalled Parliament, the immigration bill is likely to now&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/www.freemovement.org.uk\/immigration-bill-back-on-as-supreme-court-recalls-parliament\/\">continue its passage<\/a>&nbsp;through Parliament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Former PM Theresa May\u2019s White Paper drew heavily on a substantial report by the MAC, whose recommendations to reform the UK\u2019s immigration system after Brexit included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Ending free movement from the EU\/EFTA and requiring future migrants from the EU\/EFTA to apply through the UK\u2019s points-based system.<\/li><li>Abolishing the cap on skilled workers coming through the \u2018Tier 2\u2019 route.<\/li><li>Creating a new route for skilled migration, with a \u00a330,000 per year salary threshold.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The White paper received&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/spice-spotlight.scot\/2019\/04\/12\/guest-blog-brexit-and-eu-migration-where-are-we-now\/\">mixed responses<\/a>. While business organisations welcomed removing the cap on skilled workers, there were concerns about the lack of routes for low-skilled migration to the UK and the challenges for businesses to retain and recruit EEA nationals in future. The immigration proposals, and responses to them by Scottish organisations, were scrutinised in a&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/digitalpublications.parliament.scot\/ResearchBriefings\/Report\/2019\/1\/24\/Immigration-policy---the-countdown-to-Brexit\">SPICe briefing<\/a>&nbsp;in January 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What do we know of the new UK Government\u2019s plans?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The UK government has published few details about its post-Brexit immigration proposals. We know that the Government seeks to create an Australian-style points-based system, however, it is unclear whether the Government\u2019s preference is to create a less-restrictive &nbsp;immigration system \u2013 in line with the&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/uk\/politics\/brexit-boris-johnson-immigration-policy-home-office-priti-patel-free-movement-a9020871.html\">PM\u2019s intention<\/a>&nbsp;to create an amnesty for undocumented migrants and potentially remove the annual limit on immigration, &nbsp;or a more restrictive system \u2013 given the PM\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/politics\/2019\/jun\/27\/boris-johnson-vows-push-on-immigration-points-system\">reference<\/a>&nbsp;to being \u201ctougher on those who abuse our system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How does the Australian immigration system work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Australia currently operates a&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk\/resources\/reports\/the-australian-points-based-system-what-is-it-and-what-would-its-impact-be-in-the-uk\/\">points-based immigration scheme<\/a>, which prioritises and selects economic migrants based on certain desirable characteristics \u2013 such as their occupation, work experience, age, language ability and educational qualifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Applicants are allocated a certain&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/www.visabureau.com\/australia\/visas-and-immigration\/skilled-migration\/skilled-visa-points-test\">number of points<\/a>&nbsp;for each of these characteristics, and those who are ranked highly are invited to apply for one of the work visas that Australia offers. Through this system, people who do not have a job offer may be allowed to enter the country if they have sufficient points. Furthermore, while there has been a recent growth in&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/B978044453768309977X\">temporary work visas<\/a>, many skilled workers receive permanent residence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is also a suite of \u2018<a href=\"httpss:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s12134-008-0055-y\">State Specific and Regional Migration<\/a>\u2019 (SSRM) visa categories, which enable State and Territory governments (sub-state regional administrations that have broadly the same powers as devolved administrations in the UK) to set&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/immi.homeaffairs.gov.au\/what-we-do\/regional-migration\/news\/new-regional-visas\">quotas and criteria<\/a>&nbsp;for selecting migrants, especially if they qualify as low-population growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Australia\u2019s immigration system, with regard to economic and family migration, is often described as&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1111\/gove.12043\">\u2018liberal\u2019<\/a>, in that it has&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk\/resources\/commentaries\/uk-immigration-policy-look-like-brexit\/\">sought to use the points-based system to relax skilled immigration controls to meet labour market demands<\/a>. Furthermore, Australia has consistently ranked as&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/www.aph.gov.au\/About_Parliament\/Parliamentary_Departments\/Parliamentary_Library\/pubs\/rp\/rp1617\/RefugeeResettlement\">one of the top three<\/a>&nbsp;refugee resettlement countries in the world. At the same time, Australia has a policy of restricting the number of&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/www.abf.gov.au\/about-us\/what-we-do\/border-protection\/immigration-detention\">undocumented asylum-seekers<\/a>&nbsp;arriving by boat from Indonesia, by detaining people in offshore detention centres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What does this mean for Scotland?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.parliament.scot\/S5_European\/General%20Documents\/CTEER_Dr_Hepburn_report_2017.04.24.pdf\">report commissioned by the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee<\/a>&nbsp;found that the Australian immigration model could provide best practice for Scotland and other UK regions to influence immigration flows and retention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The report&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.parliament.scot\/S5_European\/General%20Documents\/CTEER_Dr_Hepburn_report_2017.04.24.pdf\">describes the Australian system\u2019s regional dispersal mechanism:<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cStates and Territories can attract skilled and business migrants through their participation in a regional migration visa scheme [to] exercise administrative powers to determine their own sponsorship programmes, set their own criteria and thresholds to select immigrants to ensure a skilled intake, and formulate reception and integration programmes to encourage immigrant retention.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Obtaining greater influence over immigration flows to Scotland is something that the Scottish Government \u2013 as well as universities, businesses and civil society actors \u2013 have&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/digitalpublications.parliament.scot\/ResearchBriefings\/Report\/2019\/1\/24\/Immigration-policy---the-countdown-to-Brexit#Scottish-Proposals-to-Increase-Immigration-Influence\">argued for<\/a>&nbsp;over the last few years, in order to combat demographic decline and labour market gaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arguments in favour of the regionalised nature of Australia\u2019s immigration system \u2013 which seeks to distribute the population of Australia more evenly across the territory \u2013 have been made across the UK. In addition to Scotland, organisations in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ippr.org\/files\/publications\/pdf\/regionalising-migration-NE-as-case-study_Jan2017.pdf?noredirect=1\">North East of England<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Regional-Visas.pdf\">London<\/a>&nbsp;have also argued for regional visas to meet regional needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, while Australia\u2019s liberal skilled migrant visa programmes and regional dispersal mechanism may appear attractive, the question of whether an Australian-style system in the UK would meet their needs depends on which aspects of the Australian system the Government wishes to adopt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Thus far, the UK Government has made no mention of adopting the Australian regional visa programmes. Instead, the focus has been on a \u2018single\u2019 skilled migration system (referring to the removal of the free movement system). Furthermore,&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk\/resources\/reports\/the-australian-points-based-system-what-is-it-and-what-would-its-impact-be-in-the-uk\/\">as Madelaine Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, says<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cit is not possible to say whether or how much introducing an \u2018Australian-style points system\u2019 to the UK would increase migration, without knowing how this system would be designed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Until the UK Government publishes more details on how it plans to use a points-based system \u2013 which could be calibrated in a way to restrict the number of migrants coming to the UK (with higher points thresholds) or, like Australia, to increase skilled migration \u2013 we will not fully know the implications of such a system for Scotland, or the UK as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Much of the substance of the proposed system will likely hinge on the report that the MAC is due to publish in January 2020. The MAC launched a call for evidence on 10 September for organisations to feed into this Consultation. Those who wish to have a say on whether, and how the UK might adopt a new points-based system,&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/consultations\/salary-threshold-and-points-based-system-pbs-commission-call-for-evidence\">can respond to the Consultation here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 This blog examines Prime Minister Boris Johnson\u2019s proposals for a new Australian-style points-based immigration system, and its implications for regional differentiation for Scotland. It is one of several blogs that Dr Eve Hepburn has been&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/spice-spotlight.scot\/2019\/08\/30\/brexit-scenarios-what-might-happen-next\/\">publishing with SPICe<\/a>. As with all&nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/spice-spotlight.scot\/tag\/guest-blog\/\">guest blogs<\/a>, what follows are the views of the author, not those of SPICe or the Scottish Parliament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First co-published by the <a href=\"httpss:\/\/www.centreonconstitutionalchange.ac.uk\/news-and-opinion\/what-might-prime-ministers-immigration-proposals-mean-scotland\">Centre on Constitutional Change<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Would an Aussie-style immigration system work for Scotland? &#8216;Until the UK Government publishes more details on how it plans to use a points-based system&#8230; we will not fully know the implications of such a system&#8230;&#8217;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":283,"featured_media":6785,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[319],"tags":[119,36],"class_list":["post-9188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","tag-immigration","tag-scottish-government"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/283"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9188\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}